Behind the Scenes of COVID-19 for Healthcare Workers

To all of you who work sleepless nights in hospitals to care for others this year (and every year) - we salute you. It hasn’t been an easy year for anyone. People who have had to directly interact with and treat patients who were diagnosed with the Coronavirus had unique challenges. Not only did they have to deal with the global uncertainties and their own families, but they also had to be present and strong for their patients. Heather Isola, the Director of Physician Assistants at Mount Sinai Health System, chats with us today on how healthcare workers in her hospital dealt with some of these challenges behind the scenes. She starts off by explaining some of the differences in the role of a Physician’s Assistant (PA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), and other healthcare professionals. She then dives into the severe impact that COVID-19 had in New York City, the reconfiguration and adaptability of the healthcare system, and issues that healthcare professionals have in addressing their emotional needs.Heather directs over 900 PAs for excellence in patient-care and operations. Heather has spent the last 10 years clinically working at a Urogynecology PA at the Faculty Practice of Mount Sinai specializing in women’s health, contraception management, incontinence, pelvic floor health, and vaginal health. Her goals is to operationalize Advanced Practice Providers to operate at top of licensure to increase patient care, safety, quality and throughput while utilizing the versatility, strength and team collaboration that PAs bring to the healthcare delivery of Mount Sinai Health System.